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Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners

Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners

Old May 14th 2017, 1:32 pm
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Default re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners

Originally Posted by Stinkypup
I do look sporadically but don't worry about them, as Snoop says they are the ones who are often drug seeking or who have been fired for unreasonable/unacceptable behaviour. There is a doc in our office who obsesses about comments - I think it depends on your personality- if you see yourself as the best doctor on the planet who never makes mistakes then you will no doubt feel devastated to receive a bit of criticism.

In the UK, they don't use the websites, they send in complaints to the GMC for even trivial complaints- the GMC attitude seems to be guilty until proven innocent however ridiculous the complaint. I would much rather some ranting pillock on RateMd than having to appear in front of some complaints panel for some spurious and totally unfounded complaint.

Thanks for your input, it's a matter of habituation I guess. I was getting paranoid about its effect on my practice .
Good news is that the kids have got admission in an IB school. It's in maple ridge , called as meadowridge school. Not sure if anyone has any feedback about it. Its expensive but we thought it would give us some stability to start with. We can then slowly decide where to buy etc.
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Old May 15th 2017, 3:42 am
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Default re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners

Originally Posted by Brainwave
Thanks for your input, it's a matter of habituation I guess. I was getting paranoid about its effect on my practice .
Good news is that the kids have got admission in an IB school. It's in maple ridge , called as meadowridge school. Not sure if anyone has any feedback about it. Its expensive but we thought it would give us some stability to start with. We can then slowly decide where to buy etc.

It is about the most expensive school in the Vancouver area, so I hope it really does fit your need.
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Old May 15th 2017, 7:45 am
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Default re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners

So, partner has had validation completed - took from February (once his references were received) to early May to go through the process (and that's without any issues arising). Now the fun part begins - job hunting! Also, have had an offer on the house and surveyors due this week (which hopefully won't put a spanner in the works!)
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Old May 15th 2017, 7:16 pm
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Default re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners

Dear Scilly

Could you send me a PM regarding you feedback /comment. I'd be grateful!
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Old May 15th 2017, 8:28 pm
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Default re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners

Originally Posted by ecokid
So, partner has had validation completed - took from February (once his references were received) to early May to go through the process (and that's without any issues arising). Now the fun part begins - job hunting! Also, have had an offer on the house and surveyors due this week (which hopefully won't put a spanner in the works!)
Great news -Good luck - point questions to us if you need to have local(ish) info- I know BC is a big place
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Old May 15th 2017, 8:37 pm
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pm sent
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Old May 16th 2017, 3:07 pm
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Default re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners

Originally Posted by Stinkypup
Great news -Good luck - point questions to us if you need to have local(ish) info- I know BC is a big place
Thanks so much Stinky - will definitely keep you posted about options. In regards to jobs, it appears from this thread that the ideal situation is where a GP is retiring and they are looking for someone to take over their patient list? I know he should be careful about joining another Dr's practice without an established list unless the area is obviously underserved. What is everyone's opinion regarding establishing a practice in a community not currently served by a physician? I know there would be a mountain of paperwork and that it would take awhile to build momentum - but is it as risky as it sounds? I could possibly take on the admin side of things, which would reduce our overheads (at least initially), but with talk of a potential recession brewing, this might not be wise?

We've booked three weeks off to pop over in late August to check out potential jobs and locations - would a week in each of our interested areas be sufficient (the island, sunshine coast and of course Okanagan)? Hoping to make the final move late 2017/early2018, which will be winter and probably a shock to the system but a great way to start the new year!

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Old May 17th 2017, 3:04 am
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Default re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners

Originally Posted by ecokid
Thanks so much Stinky - will definitely keep you posted about options. In regards to jobs, it appears from this thread that the ideal situation is where a GP is retiring and they are looking for someone to take over their patient list? I know he should be careful about joining another Dr's practice without an established list unless the area is obviously underserved. What is everyone's opinion regarding establishing a practice in a community not currently served by a physician? I know there would be a mountain of paperwork and that it would take awhile to build momentum - but is it as risky as it sounds? I could possibly take on the admin side of things, which would reduce our overheads (at least initially), but with talk of a potential recession brewing, this might not be wise?

We've booked three weeks off to pop over in late August to check out potential jobs and locations - would a week in each of our interested areas be sufficient (the island, sunshine coast and of course Okanagan)? Hoping to make the final move late 2017/early2018, which will be winter and probably a shock to the system but a great way to start the new year!
Starting from scratch is what we did and it is a lot more work- helping out with summarisng charts by you would certainly help and save time- he knows where he is then with his patients. I reiterate that is hard work.
Acquiring a list is a lot easier and less work - how sorted the patients very much depends on the Doctor that precedes him. Setting yourselves up in a new area with no GP...for a start off he will likely need a mentor initially and they may well need to work very nearby or in the same office. Having colleagues in the same clinic who are used to the system is immensely helpful as they can help guide him as whilst the medicine is the same, the delivery of care is totally different. GP Rich has just done a tour of offices so he may well be in a better position to advise you - our reccie involved a great time in Waterton NP and then the Kootenays- mainly Nelson, then up to Penticton, then Vernon- very targeted. If you target offices in each area then yep, doable but remember the Island is massive, and travel will take longer than you think. Target specific towns on the island, Sunshine Coast shouldn't take too long- then getting to the Okanagan isn't exactly next door! Also have some fun time on the way round like we did
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Old May 18th 2017, 1:46 pm
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Default re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners

Originally Posted by Stinkypup
Starting from scratch is what we did and it is a lot more work- helping out with summarisng charts by you would certainly help and save time- he knows where he is then with his patients. I reiterate that is hard work.
Acquiring a list is a lot easier and less work - how sorted the patients very much depends on the Doctor that precedes him. Setting yourselves up in a new area with no GP...for a start off he will likely need a mentor initially and they may well need to work very nearby or in the same office. Having colleagues in the same clinic who are used to the system is immensely helpful as they can help guide him as whilst the medicine is the same, the delivery of care is totally different. GP Rich has just done a tour of offices so he may well be in a better position to advise you - our reccie involved a great time in Waterton NP and then the Kootenays- mainly Nelson, then up to Penticton, then Vernon- very targeted. If you target offices in each area then yep, doable but remember the Island is massive, and travel will take longer than you think. Target specific towns on the island, Sunshine Coast shouldn't take too long- then getting to the Okanagan isn't exactly next door! Also have some fun time on the way round like we did
Hi ecokid - just back from Kelowna and jetlagged!

I was told from choosing a clinic expect 6 months to process the job offer/ nomination/ immigration.

We are on holiday July/ August and I decided to head out for a week myself to do the job search. We quickly settled on Okanagan as Vancouver was too expensive for housing and Vancouver Island rains as much as Glasgow

With teenagers who are used to city life we also felt Kelowna would best suit our needs and I did 3 days of clinic visits - its pretty intense and there are some great clinics so choosing isnt easy

I also fitted a hike in as well as looking round with a realtor, visiting an accountant and a chat with a finance guy at the bank

Feel free to PM me, the clinic I have settled on has someone leaving and I will be able to take over that list and maybe look to grow it in time

Rich
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Old May 21st 2017, 10:54 am
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Oh that's great Rich, sounds like you had a lovely time. There does seem to be loads of jobs going in Kelowna atm. We've shortlisted 10 in Okanagan and that includes 4 just from Kelowna alone. I guess the biggest draw about Kelowna is not having to do hospital AE or care of patients during hospital stays. My partner is happy enough to do AE stuff once in awhile (as he enjoyed it a lot during training and if it wasn't so understaffed here he might have gone into it), but a lot of the smaller communities do seem to require you to do nearly everything. I think what puts us off most are the places where you're responsible for your patients during hospital stays as that brings back nightmares of being bleeped during the night.

After having a look at the sunshine coast, it appears that there are few jobs at all and those that are advertising lack provisional registration. So unless something pops up between now and the Summer, we will focus on the island and Okanagan. There does seem to be a lot of jobs going on the island and rain doesn't phase us too much (lived in wet Wales for years before moving SW) and it's great for gardening. The main draw about the Island (at least in the south) is being able to get to Vancouver and even Seattle fairly easily for trips. That being said, the island does seem to be rather run down in areas outside of Victoria so there are lots to consider.

How many clinics did you visit during your week Rich? We have three weeks to cover both areas.
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Old May 21st 2017, 11:21 am
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Default re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners

Originally Posted by ecokid
Oh that's great Rich, sounds like you had a lovely time. There does seem to be loads of jobs going in Kelowna atm. We've shortlisted 10 in Okanagan and that includes 4 just from Kelowna alone. I guess the biggest draw about Kelowna is not having to do hospital AE or care of patients during hospital stays. My partner is happy enough to do AE stuff once in awhile (as he enjoyed it a lot during training and if it wasn't so understaffed here he might have gone into it), but a lot of the smaller communities do seem to require you to do nearly everything. I think what puts us off most are the places where you're responsible for your patients during hospital stays as that brings back nightmares of being bleeped during the night.

After having a look at the sunshine coast, it appears that there are few jobs at all and those that are advertising lack provisional registration. So unless something pops up between now and the Summer, we will focus on the island and Okanagan. There does seem to be a lot of jobs going on the island and rain doesn't phase us too much (lived in wet Wales for years before moving SW) and it's great for gardening. The main draw about the Island (at least in the south) is being able to get to Vancouver and even Seattle fairly easily for trips. That being said, the island does seem to be rather run down in areas outside of Victoria so there are lots to consider.

How many clinics did you visit during your week Rich? We have three weeks to cover both areas.
Hi I looked at 9 clinics in the week I was there also saw a finance guy, accountant and looked at a few houses!

Kelowna airport has direct flights to Vancouver and Seattle - around 5 a day to vancouver and its a 55 min flight so great links from Okanagan. I was told the housing market in Victoria is hotting up - Vancouver is wayyy to expensive and they have introduced a tax there so people are buying elsewhere.

I looked at one clinic in Lake Country, one in Peachland then the rest in Kelowna itself - if you private message me where you are going I can pass on my thoughts if I went to them if that would help?

Also I was told interior health are not forcing active hospital proveleges, you would have associate terms so can pick and choose whether you go in to see patients. Also some docs do other stuff such as surgical assisting at the hospital for extra income
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Old May 21st 2017, 3:38 pm
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Default re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners

Originally Posted by Richb1970
Hi I looked at 9 clinics in the week I was there also saw a finance guy, accountant and looked at a few houses!

Kelowna airport has direct flights to Vancouver and Seattle - around 5 a day to vancouver and its a 55 min flight so great links from Okanagan. I was told the housing market in Victoria is hotting up - Vancouver is wayyy to expensive and they have introduced a tax there so people are buying elsewhere.

I looked at one clinic in Lake Country, one in Peachland then the rest in Kelowna itself - if you private message me where you are going I can pass on my thoughts if I went to them if that would help?

Also I was told interior health are not forcing active hospital proveleges, you would have associate terms so can pick and choose whether you go in to see patients. Also some docs do other stuff such as surgical assisting at the hospital for extra income

PM sent. Yeah, there are always planes - I guess being able to jump on a jetfoil/hydrofoil or seaplane is slightly more convenient for those spur of the moment things. It's not the deciding factor though - the most important aspects being the community, job and area. Definitely good to hear that there are still options for clinicians to pick up extra work if desired as partner often does OOH when we need more funds(which moving from dual income to single income initially will be helpful). Haha, I think deciding where to live is going to be difficult.
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Old May 22nd 2017, 3:11 am
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Do we have a jetfoil/hydrofoil between Victoria and the mainland or Seattle??

I would warn you that travel between the Island and the mainland by sea or plane is expensive ....... car and driver + 1 passenger = $80 one way, plus $15 reservation fee (if done more than 7 days in advance; $18 if less than 7 days) ......... the reservation fee is essential if travelling at peak times, or almost any time in the tourist season. One way trip takes about 1 hour 40 minutes. The ferry terminal on the Island is about 30 minutes from the centre of Victoria; that on the mainland is about 30-40 minutes (or longer depending on traffic) from downtown Vancouver, or from the US border

Harbour Air float plane Victoria to Vancouver seem to start at a special weekend rate in May and July at a low of $99 one way pp

https://www.harbourair.com/book-a-flight/gofares/

The high speed Clipper ferry from Vancouver to Seattle is passenger only, runs once a day in each direction in winter, twice a day between May 6 and September 24. BUT you then have to find transport at either end.

Cost for that for adults ...... 7 day advance purchase ranges between $109 - $129 pp round trip; 2 day advance purchase from $125-159 pp round trip; and same day purchase from $145-185 pp round trip

The Black Ball car ferry (the Coho) sails from Victoria to Port Angeles, WA, 2 sailings a day in each direction in winter, 4 sailings per day June 15 to September 5/6. The cost is car + driver $64.00 US, passenger $18.00 US; car reservation fee (recommended) $11US online or $US16 by phone or in person.


There is a brand new service Victoria harbour to Vancouver harbour, aimed at tourist, luxury class (3 levels), started 3 weeks ago, has already had at least 3 days out of service because of "mechanical issues". The V2V Empress is operated by an Australian company that runs a similar service in Brisbane, a renovated catamaran, takes about 3½ hours each way, one round trip per day. The 3 levels of service cost $120, $199 and $240 one way.

I haven't actually heard anything more about it since the breakdown less than a week after the start up on May 5

https://v2vvacations.com/


I think you can see that it isn't cheap or easy!
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Old May 22nd 2017, 4:20 am
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Default re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners

V2V on it's way to Vancouver today- seems to have been working ok whilst we have been here. There is going to be a larger catamaran which thankfully will be cheaper and have three times the capacity of this vessel- tbh I would go by floatplane which doesn't take three hours...
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Old May 23rd 2017, 12:08 am
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Default re: Chat for and with Canadian Family Practitioners/ex UK General Practitioners

Originally Posted by Stinkypup
V2V on it's way to Vancouver today- seems to have been working ok whilst we have been here. There is going to be a larger catamaran which thankfully will be cheaper and have three times the capacity of this vessel- tbh I would go by floatplane which doesn't take three hours...

Thank you for that info, Stinky.

We don't go anywhere near the harbour or Stanley Park during the tourist season, unless we have visitors who really want the Vancouver experience!


V2V IS marketed as a "tourist trip" .......... just like the Rocky Mountaineer!


tourist traps more likely

Yes, I have been on the RM .......... about 14 years ago. Thought it was worth about half of what we paid for the "experience".

Plus we had to pay extra for the hotel in Kelowna where we spent the night AND for the evening dinner and show.

Haven''t checked to see what happens now ......... just see how much more the 2 day trip Vancouver to Banff or Calgary now costs.

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